Arizona Officials Find Javelina Herd Killed, Possibly by Car

Commuters in Scottsdale, Arizona made a grisly discovery on Monday morning when they found nine dead javelina piled up alongside a road. State officials have told CBS5 that the deaths were likely caused by traffic, and that possibly a police officer piled the javelina alongside Shea Boulevard to clear the road.

“We did not know what to expect,” said conservation officer Tim Holt. “It was road-kill related, and the injuries were consistent with that as well.”

The Arizona Game & Fish Department is currently investigating the case, which led to the discovery of two young animals near the area. With the rest of their herd dead, the surviving javelina were transported to a wildlife rehabilitation center until they are old enough to be reintroduced into the wild.

Javelina usually gather in herds of two to 20 individuals and are very social. Contrary to popular perception, they are not pigs but instead members of the peccary family. Javelina do not share the destructive habits of feral pigs, but can still be considered a nuisance.